Kinabalu Park 12 Dec. to 16 Dec. 2015

Bornean Green Magpie

This short 5-day trip was a quick decision that transpired through a couple of e-mails about our friends’ recent trip to Kinabalu Park.

As they had enjoyed their stay at the “Nepenthes Lodge” we said we would join them if they go again.  To our surprise their reply was they can revisit if were interested.  

So it was a revisit after 6 weeks for Lioe and Linda and our first trip to Mt Kinabalu Park.   Linda booked the Nepenthes lodge for 12 to 17 Dec 2015.  This lodge has 2-bedroom units for 4 pax and 2 units were booked for our group of 6 pax.  While we went with Silk Air that arrives in the early afternoon on 12th,  Linda and Lioe came the next evening on Air Asia with Jerry and Valerie.

We had arranged airport transfer with LGM Enterprise (Tel 0138734208) RM250 one-way from Kota Kinabalu Airport to Kinabalu Park HQ rather than take an airport taxi to the city center to get the local minibus (RM20 per pax one-way) up to the Park. It seems taxi’s at the airport would not go all the way to the HQ which was 2.5-3 hours drive depending on the traffic on the mountain road. The late evening transfer would cost RM350 for the group of 4.                                                                                    

Sunda Laughingthrush

On 12th we arrived at the Park and were impressed with the service and accommodation which is managed by Sutera Harbour Resorts.  The rooms were clean and there was daily room service.  The Nepenthes Lodges (10 units) over-look the main road and trees in front of the balcony provided good views of the birds feeding in the morning and evening as they move from the ground up to the canopy. 

At Kinabalu Park the birding route was quite simply the main Power Station road from HQ to Timpohon Gate where the climbers start their ascent.  This 4.5 km road uphill has winding bends at some sections so walking up would be quite tiring.  There were trails along this main road for one to venture but we decided to stick to the road.

Bornean treepie

On 13th we were woken by the sounds of birds at 6 am and as we walked along the road to the HQ which was about 20 mins we saw birds feeding at the various drains and especially the Liwagu River paths.  We had breakfast at the Balsam restaurant and from our tables we can see White-eyes and Yuhinas flying into the trees across the restaurant.  We spent our day birding along the road and also at the Botanical Gardens.   In the late evening, the 4 arrived after a late dinner in town.

On 14th after our breakfast we got a ride from the

Bornean Whistler

Reception to the Timpohon Gate and did our birding walking down.   There are rest stops along the road and bird waves were encountered but the tall trees with dense foliages make it difficult to get clear shots of these birds.  The trails look promising but we did not have time to venture too far.  It took us 3 hours walking down in a leisurely manner.   Lunch was at the Liwagu Restaurant which is the the only outlet at the park with an a’ la carte menu.

The next couple of days were quieter with less bird waves as the sky turned grey each afternoon.   However we were lucky that the afternoon rain, previously predicted, did not materialize during our stay.   We left on 16th morning while the rest enjoyed another day of the cool fresh air of Kinabalu Park.

Kinabalu Park Birds Photos

  Birds Seen:

1	Bornean Whistling Thrush (Lifer)		13	Temminck’s Sunbird (Lifer)
2	Grey Wagtail		14	Grey-chinned Minivet
3	Sunda Laughingthrush (Lifer)		15	Yellow-breasted Warbler (Lifer)
4	Indigo Flycatcher		16	White-throated Fantail
5	Little Pied Flycatcher		17	Bornean Green Magpie (Lifer)
6	Bornean Treepie (Lifer)		18	Velvet-fronted Nuthatch
7	Chestnut-hooded Laughing Thrush (Lifer)		19	Pale-faced Bulbul (Lifer)
8	Chestnut-crested Yuhina (Lifer)		20	Mountain Leaf Warbler
9	Erponis		21	Black-capped White-eye (Lifer)
10	Mugimaki Flycatcher		22	Black-sided Flowerpecker (Lifer)
11	Ferruginous Flycatcher		23	Blue-and-white Flycatcher
12	Bornean Whistler (Lifer)